The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hollywood Version)

'Itan Atxur · December 23, 2011, 03:12:59 AM

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo HD Trailer - David Fincher Version

Well, I did it!! I saw "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" on it's release day and I couldn't be happier with the movie. I was VERY nervous going into it after the atrocious Swedish movies but the guys in Hollywood know what they're doing.

If you haven't read the books the dialog can be a bit too fast but thats because they cram almost everything from the book into 2.5 hours. The actress who portrays Lisbeth is beyond perfect. As much as I love Natalie Portman (who declined the part) I honestly think that she couldn't not have done a better job than the girl they choose. The script is about 85% true to the book which is more than most book to movie attempts can say. Also, Erika Berger's character is the same as the book (which was NOT the case for the Swedish movies) and is PERFECTLY cast. Daniel Craig was, well, above average. I don't think it was his fault though. He has SO many lines that he has to say them as fast as he can and it's hard to add character when you're talking at a million miles per hours.

They stayed fairly faithful to the book almost the entire time. They did remove an entire key character and merge them with another which kind of bothered me but honestly, in retrospect they pulled it off quite well and should make things less confusing to new comers trying to understand the plot and listen to a million words per second at the same time.

My biggest complaint about the Swedish movies was the MISERABLE way they handled Lisbeth Salanders character. They cut key scenes which truly let you know who she is as a person. The new movie cuts the same scenes but merges them with others instead so that the character is properly developed. And honestly, unless you're a die hard fan of the books like I am you won't notice the missing scenes and will get a full understanding of who Lisbeth really is.

Final Verdict: I went into Avatar for the first time with low expectations and left the theater dazzled. I wasn't yet sure if it was the greatest movie I'd ever seen but one thing was for sure: It was truly a special experience. I went into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo VERY much nervous that I was wasting my time. Yet again I left the theater dazzled. [EDIT] This movie is rapidly climbing my all time favorites list. I'm finding I have a very strong desire to see it in theaters again. The only other movie I've ever even wanted to see multiple times in theater was Avatar.

9.9/10 (For comparison I would give the Swedish movies a 6.5/10. They are very good movies but have little to do with the book. And being a purist, that kinda ruins them for me).

Carborundum · December 23, 2011, 04:57:21 AM

I have neither read the books, nor seen any of the movies, so I have no opinion about anything.

However, I am curious about how this film deals with language. In 'Let Me In' the setting was changed from a Swedish suburb to an American town, thereby also justifying English as the language. From what I have heard, this is not done for this film? In other words, it depicts Swedes in Sweden speaking English? Is there any attempt to explain that, or is it just glossed over?

Ftxavanga Txe′lan · December 23, 2011, 08:25:02 AM

Quote from: Carborundum on December 23, 2011, 04:57:21 AMIn other words, it depicts Swedes in Sweden speaking English? Is there any attempt to explain that, or is it just glossed over?

Interesting question!

Ma 'eylan, I must admit that, after reading your comment, I don't feel I'll be able to ignore this movie anymore. It seems like I'll have to add it to my To-Watch-In-Cinema list along with Sherlock Holmes.

I can't believe you give it a 9.9 in comparison to the 6.5 for the Swedish movie, though!

hrh That's intense!

'Itan Atxur · December 23, 2011, 10:24:59 AM

Quote from: Carborundum on December 23, 2011, 04:57:21 AM
However, I am curious about how this film deals with language. In 'Let Me In' the setting was changed from a Swedish suburb to an American town, thereby also justifying English as the language. From what I have heard, this is not done for this film? In other words, it depicts Swedes in Sweden speaking English? Is there any attempt to explain that, or is it just glossed over?

They speak English in the same locations as in the book (Stockholm, Hedestad, ect) but with a slight Swedish accent.

Quote from: Ftxavanga Txe′lan on December 23, 2011, 08:25:02 AM
Ma 'eylan, I must admit that, after reading your comment, I don't feel I'll be able to ignore this movie anymore. It seems like I'll have to add it to my To-Watch-In-Cinema list along with Sherlock Holmes. I can't believe you give it a 9.9 in comparison to the 6.5 for the Swedish movie, though! hrh That's intense!

I'm honestly having a hard time believing I gave it a 9.9 too. But every time I sit back and think about it, this movie was (almost) everything I wanted it to be which I cannot say about the Swedish movies (which I'm watching right now, lol). If I had never read the books I would probably have given the Swedish movies an 8.5-9. They're not bad movies. They're actually VERY well done given the limited budget and acting pool. They're just not faithful.